He understands the terminology and the play designs more than most. After all, he played in Gus Malzahn's hurry-up, no-huddle offense as a record-breaking quarterback at Shiloh
Christian (Springdale, Ark.) in the late 1990s before coaching in the system as a graduate
assistant at Auburn and coordinator at Samford and Arkansas State.

Experience in this fast-paced system is not necessarily a must as a quarterback, but it certainly helps, and it's why some wonder if Kiehl Frazier has an advantage as spring practices hit full gear at Auburn.

"Kiehl did have a year before but
at the same time any time you transition from system to system,
there's still some transition time that goes with
that," Malzahn said, down-playing the perceived advantage Frazier has in the two-man race at quarterback this spring. "Jonathan Wallace
played in a similar system in high school, too. We're just
giving those guys equal reps right now, and we'll see what happens."

It's too soon to say who has the
advantage. In fact, coaches may not name a first-team quarterback following the
A-Day scrimmage April 20.

Still, it's Frazier who may have the
upperhand in the battle. Not many quarterbacks can say they've played
in a similar hurry-up, no-huddle as a high
school quarterback -- especially at the very high school Malzahn once coached and Lashlee once led to two
state titles as the quarterback.

Shiloh Christian, a private school of
less than 1,000 students, became a powerhouse
under Malzahn as the coach and a slew of
talented quarterbacks — Josh Floyd, Lashlee and Frazier — led the
team to state titles and victories against
teams in larger classifications. The system Malzahn implemented at
the Class 3A school is still utilized by Floyd,
who is now the coach.

"Kiehl went there (in 2010) to play in coach
Malzahn's system, so obviously when he came back it was a big
positive for him," said Floyd, who coached
Frazier. "... At least a lot of our base stuff and main offense
is very similar to coach Malzahn's. That's pretty much
what I know and that's what we run. That will be a benefit to him."

Frazier still has plenty to prove to
the coaches, even if Lashlee and Malzahn have more connections to
Frazier than they do with Wallace, a
highly-regarded quarterback out of nearby Phenix City. And that's not to
say the connections to Wallace are any less
important. After all, Lashlee recruited Wallace while at Arkansas
State and the 6-foot-2, 209-pound speedster fits
Malzahn's system. Previous relationships will not affect Lashlee and Malzahn's post-spring decision.

"They have to do their job,"
Floyd said. "I know Rhett and coach Malzahn. They're competitive
guys and that's why they're at where they'are at.
They've got to put the best guy out there."

Frazier, who struggled mightily in
several games and even had a negative quarterback rating at halftime
of a 28-10 loss at Mississippi State, was
benched at halftime of the 24-7 loss to Arkansas in Week 5. Wallace
started the final four games, setting a
freshman record for quarterback efficiency (139.60).

Frazier gained weight as the season
progressed in 2012. How the extra pounds affected him has not been
shared by the coaches, but Floyd believes it hurt
Frazier, who looked apprehensive under pressure and threw two
touchdowns and eight interceptions (he was also sacked 18 times). "He
was up pretty heavy when we first got here," Malzahn said.

Frazier (6-2, 234) has shed a few
pounds since Malzahn's return to the Plains in December, but the
junior is still not quite at his target weight of 220 to 225 pounds, Lashlee said. Frazier, on paper, is actually eight pounds heavier
than his listed weight in the 2012 media guide.

Frazier feels better and he's finding it easier to move in the pocket after losing a few pounds, Lashlee said. That's good news for the
offense, which works at its best with a mobile quarterback running the show. Wallace has
gained 12 pounds to help his durability, and his four-game stint as the starter will help him when the Tigers start scrimmaging next week.

The early returns are mixed, as expected. Frazier worked with the first-team
offense Wednesday. On Friday, Wallace spent time with the first-team
unit.

The coaches promised a fresh start — a
play on the staff's "new day" mantra — at every position. So far, so good.